


Introductions Are Needed

by katanrock



Series: Meeting Places (Back Here Again) [6]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Cal is baby, Gen, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, author has realized that they don't know shit about mechanics, wow the clones are hard to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:14:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23271535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katanrock/pseuds/katanrock
Summary: Cal has officially become Obi-Wan’s second Padawan. It’s time for him to meet his new family. Or, Cal meets the people closest to Obi-Wan.
Relationships: Ahsoka Tano & Cal Kestis, Anakin Skywalker & Cal Kestis, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Cal Kestis
Series: Meeting Places (Back Here Again) [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1639870
Comments: 42
Kudos: 308





	1. The 212th

The doors to the transport opened. Cal breathed deeply. 

Following his Master, Cal walks onto the  _ Negotiator _ for the first time. The hangar was mildly busy, clones unloading supplies before heading off on their next campaign. Master Obi-Wan led them both down a hallway, away from the bustle of the hangar. His new braid swung heavily over his left ear, a new weight he still hadn’t gotten used to signifying his new responsibility as a Padawan.

_ Padawan _ . The thought still shoots chills down Cal’s spine. He remembered the ceremony. His first bead woven into his hair. His new training bond with Master Obi-Wan. It still felt like a dream, even after three days.

Obi-Wan turned into a large door, opening up into the main bridge. Inside sat multiple clones, sporting the iconic gold color of the 212th battalion. At the command center stood Admiral Block and another clone, his gold painted armor chipped and scuffed. A curved scar wrapped around his left eye. Both stood at attention as Obi-Wan and Cal approached.

“Ah, Admiral, Commander. I hope you are all ready to leave.” Obi-Wan takes Cal by the shoulder, gently guiding him forward. “Introductions are needed. Admiral, Commander, meet Cal Kestis. My new Padawan. Cal, meet Admiral Block and Commander Cody.” 

Both men nodded their heads. 

“Welcome aboard the  _ Negotiator _ , kid.” the Clone Commander replied. Cal tried not to bristle at that. He was 12 years old, old enough to join the 212th in battle. He wasn’t a kid. Obi-Wan chuckled, noticing Cal’s inner pout. 

Both Jedi stayed on the main bridge, assisting on takeoff. Eventually, the sound of the hyperspace engine initiated, starry sky taken up by a blue whirlwind. As the ship settled into hyperspace travel, Obi-Wan led Cal out of the command center. 

“Come, let me show you around. You’ll know your way around this ship in no time.” Cal said nothing, following his Master out.

* * *

The first place Cal saw on his tour was the training room. 

Unlike the training halls in the Temple, the one on the ship consisted of a shooting range, punching bags, and spaces for sparring. A rack stood on the back wall holding various wooden weapons one may utilize in a spar. The room was fairly busy, with clones casually working out and two spars currently underway. 

“This is the training room. I find doing katas in this area is nice. But we will be training in a smaller room when one-on-one.” A bald clone walked over, stripped to his blacks. Obi-Wan smiled.

“Waxer! How are you today?”

“Good, sir!” The clone peered curiously at Cal, taking notice of his braid and lightsaber clipped to his side.. Cal stared back.

“Whose this?” 

Cal answered before Obi-Wan could. He could introduce himself, thank you very much. “Cal Kestis. Nice to meet you.” 

The Clone trooper smiled at him. “Waxer. Nice to meet you, sir.” The Clone- Waxer, he reminded himself- looked over at the firing range, smirking. “Say, kid. You ever shot a blaster before?” 

“I don’t think that’s necessary right now,” Obi-Wan interjected. “Maybe some other time.” 

Cal pouted. “But I want to try!” Obi-Wan raised his eyebrow at his Padawan. Cal shrank back, cheeks turning red in embarrassment. He straightened up. “Maybe next time, Waxer.”

The clone merely grinned back. “Next time.”

* * *

“This is the medbay.”

The door swooshed open, bombarding Cal with the smell of bacta and disinfectant. The room was circular, housing empty beds. Having just come back from leave, the medbay was empty, save for a couple of medics milling about. Obi-Wan led Cal into the room, heading towards one of the doors, revealing itself to be the door of a storage room. 

“Hello, Cross!” A clone turned his head, showing off his medical cross tattoo on his right temple and army cut hair. The man sighed. 

“General,” the Clone, most likely Cross, walked over from stocking. “I hope you’re not injured. That would be a new record.” 

Obi-Wan huffed out a laugh, sporting his usual smile. “No, Cross. Just showing someone around.” Cal stepped forward from behind his Master.

“Hello, I’m Cal Kestis. It’s nice to meet you.” The clone looked down at Cal, seeming to process who, or what, he was looking at.

“This is a kid.” Cal glared at the man. Talk about rude.

“Yes, he is. He’s my new Padawan.”

“You’ve willingly brought a kid aboard.”

“I’m not a kid. I’m 12 years old. And yes, I’m here to help out. Besides, aren’t all of you clones only about 11 years old yourselves?” Cal glowered at both adults.

Cross sighed, sliding a hand over his face. “Nice to meet you, Cal. I’m Cross, the Chief Medical Officer of the 212th. Yes, we’re technically 11 years old. But we have accelerated aging, which makes us technically 22 years old.” The clone eyed Obi-Wan. “I hope you’re not as flippant about your health as your Master is.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Obi-Wan left no room for Cross to answer. “Alright! Cal, let’s go. We shouldn’t take too much of Cross’ time.” The two made their way out of the room.

“I better see Cal tomorrow for a checkup!” Obi-Wan waved his hand in response as they exited.

* * *

The mess hall was rambunctious. They were a couple hours into hyperspace travel and have entered normal lunch hours. Clones milled around and sat together at large tables that ran the length of the room. Obi-Wan held Cal’s shoulders guiding them both towards the line for food. 

The two grabbed their food, Obi-Wan once again taking the lead towards a table already filling up with clone troopers. 

Cal scanned the room, looking for any familiar face he had met earlier. From his left, a voice piped up. 

“General, Cal!” There sat Waxer, his bald head gleaming from the harsh fluorescent lights. He waved his hand for the two to make their way over. Cal smiled, this time taking the lead. 

“Hi Waxer!” Cal set his food down on the table, sliding next to the man. Waxer smiled back, patting his shoulder. Obi-Wan took the spot across from Cal, settling into letting his new Padawan get to know his troops.

Waxer leaned back, revealing another clone on his right. He kept his military-style hair, but sported a goatee. Like most of the troopers in the room, he was in his blacks.

“Cal, this is Boil. Boil, Cal.” 

“Pleasure to meet you, Cal.” The other man said, raising his hand in greeting. “You must be our new Commander.”

“Not a commander yet.” Obi-Wan interjected. “He’s twelve years old. He has some skills to learn before I’m comfortable with him on the battlefield, let alone taking command.” Cal pouted, but said nothing. He knew he was still young. Most Padawans on the field did not take any large roles until they were thirteen, fourteen. He knew that he wouldn’t be fighting a lot. At least, until he had some training.

“Yeah. And if he was our new commander, I’d be out of a job.” Cody came into view, taking a spot next to Obi-Wan, who scooted over to make room. Cody nodded to Cal in greeting, the rest of the group chuckling at his joke. 

Conversation ebbed and flowed, the group moving between eating and talking. They asked the usual questions. His age. His skills. His hobbies. His interests. 

Cal found Waxer and Boil to be fun. They liked to joke around and were much more laid back than their Marshal Commander. Cal knew that if he wanted to create some mischief, they were the ones to go to. 

Eventually, their food was eaten, and their stomachs were full. Obi-Wan and Cal bid the three clones goodbye and headed out of the mess hall.

* * *

Obi-Wan showed Cal to the communal refreshers, then the armory, engine room, the port tower, and then the trooper barracks. Eventually, the duo made their way to Cal’s new room, set up where the rest of the officers stayed. 

“Your room is right here. My room and the Commander’s will be the first two doors down the hall. Should you need anything, you can find us there.”

Cal punched in his access code in, the door swooshing open for him. He stared back at his Master.

“Thanks for the tour.” 

Obi-Wan smiled at Cal, patted his shoulder. “Sleep well, dear Padawan.”

“Goodnight, Master.”


	2. Anakin

“What’re you doing here?”

Cal jumped, the screwdriver in his hand falling to the floor with a clatter. Standing at the door was a man, a large scar going down his right eye.

Anakin walked in, staring at the small mess surrounding Cal. His face heated up. In his hands was a small small comlink, partly taken apart with the rest of its parts strewn around Cal.

“I-uh,” Cal stuttered. This was the first time he was meeting his Padawan-brother, and everyone knew who he was. Anakin Skywalker. The Hero with No Fear. The Chosen One. 

Anakin walked into the room, taking in the mess around the boy. He frowned. It was obvious that he was trying to build or fix something. 

“Wow, you really tore that comlink apart.” 

If Cal’s face got any redder, he would be a tomato. He stared down at the mess he made. Shame settled into the pit of his stomach.

Cal muttered. “I-I wanted to enhance it, so I could still talk to my friends.” His eyes were still trained downwards, waiting for a reprimand.

Instead, Anakin sat down next to him, plucking the comlink from Cal’s hands. He gathered the tools and parts around Cal with the Force, settling them closer to him. He began to strip the comlink.

“W-What’re you doing?” 

Anakin looked up from his work, quirking an eyebrow. “Helping, of course.” 

Cal’s eyes blew open. Not only was he not mad, but he wanted to help! Anakin chuckled at his Padawan-brother’s face.

“I’m Anakin Skywalker.” He reached out his gloved hand to the boy. 

“Cal. Cal Kestis.” The redhead grabbed the other’s hand. They shook firmly. Cal’s face split into a grin. “You can tell me all about Master Obi-Wan!”

Anakin’s eyebrows scrunched up, obviously confused. “What do you mean?” Cal’s smile wavered.  _ Oh no. _ He didn’t know yet. 

“Uh, I-I’m his new Padawan…?”

Understanding came over Anakin. “Oh, yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, yeah. I, uh, kinda forgot about that. Obi-Wan told me a couple of days ago.” 

The grin Cal had a minute ago was gone. He stared at his Padawan-brother. “A-are you okay with this?” 

Cal didn’t need the Force to know that Anakin was shocked by his question.

“What? Yeah, of course! Obi-Wan’s allowed to take on another Padawan.” 

“But that doesn’t mean you’re okay with it.” 

Silence.

“I-I just, I really want a Padawan-sibling! To, you know, tell me about our Master, a-and any secrets o-or blackmail to use and-” Cal cut himself off, biting at his lips. It seemed like he wasn’t getting through to Anakin. A prickling feeling built up behind Cal’s eyes and he wiped his eyes, erasing any moisture building up. 

It was true. He wanted someone to share his experiences with, someone he could feel close to that would understand the experiences he would go through as a Padawan. That close, familial relationship. Cal craved it. The Jedi Code wasn’t going to stop him from wanting that relationship. 

A hand landed on his shoulder. Cal flinched at it. Peering to the side, Cal saw Anakin, a sad, guilty expression coloring his face.

“Sorry, I wasn’t suggesting that I didn’t want to know you.” Anakin tried to smile, strained by the sobering topic. “I do want to get to know you, Cal. I’d love to.” 

Cal sniffled, staring at Anakin. His psychometry made him especially attuned to other peoples emotions. He could tell that Anakin wasn’t telling him everything. But who was he to continue to push?

He nodded his head. Anakin took this as an opportunity to get back to their original task.

“So, what exactly were you planning on enhancing on this comlink?” 

Cal straightened up, rubbing his nose on his cloak. His eyes were slightly red, but they both decided to ignore it.

“I-I wanted to see if I could increase its range so that I could make calls from across the galaxy.” Anakin whistled. A hard task, especially for one so inexperienced with technology. Anakin knew. He’s tried it before.

Anakin smirked conspiratorially at Cal. “Good thing you have me. I’ll teach you all you need to know about mechanics. Then, we can see how annoyed Obi-Wan will get when you leave parts strewn around.”

Cal let out a wet laugh, still not fully recovered over his small cry session. A real smile grew on the boy’s face. He scooted closer to Anakin. “Is that what you used to do?”

The older man chuckled, nodding his head in confirmation. “My room was always a mess, and Obi-Wan would always moan whenever I came in covered in grease and my robes all messy.” Anakin straightened his back, a hand reaching up to stroke an imaginary beard, mocking his Master. 

“What have you been doing? Go change! A Jedi must keep up their appearance if they want negotiations to succeed!” His Coruscanti accent was horrid, but Cal laughed all the same. Anakin removed his hand from his face, combing it through his hair. “He would never let me sit on the couch until I showered and changed.” 

Cal’s excitement came back in full force. This was what he wanted. A Padawan-sibling to talk to, gossip to, and learn the small details needed to be their Master’s Padawan. 

The two sat in the room, parts strewn around them, tools floating, slowly building and swapping stories. If Obi-Wan yelled at Cal for making a mess of his robes, well. Cal would cross that bridge when he got there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! As of right now, I should be doing all of my online work for school. But instead, I'm posting this! I've had a lot more time to write, and I'm super excited to continue, especially after this chapter. I had so much fun writing this.
> 
> After writing this and planning the other chapters, I've decided that I'm throwing continuity and chronology out of the window. I don't know nor care when this chapter takes place. It's pretty ambiguous. You can interpret when this happens. After the first chapter? Before it? It's up to you now. 
> 
> The next chapter should be up pretty soon! Comment, give kudos, whatever! See you guys next time.


	3. Ahsoka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place a couple months after The Gathering, before the Clone Wars began

“Do you know where Val is?”

Roused from her concentration, Tala looked up from her holobook to stare up at Cal.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Nope. Maybe the training halls? Heard he met up with an older initiate to spar or something.” 

Cal groaned. “He said he would meet with me to study for piloting!” Tala rolled her eyes, her lekkus quivering in annoyance. 

“I can’t help you anymore. So, if you don’t mind, I’ll get back to  _ my _ studying.” 

Cal sighed, leaving his friend to her research, leaving the Archives. 

_ Sparring, huh? _ Cal knew that Val was having a bit of trouble with his dual-blades. There weren’t a lot of Jedi who used that style, leaving the Mirialan struggling to master his blades. Cal sighed. He needed to find his friend if he wanted to get any studying done. 

Cal headed towards the training halls, peeking into each room for any signs of his friend. After the fourth time, he finally found what he was looking for. 

The sound of lightsabers hit Cal’s ears as he stepped into the training room. In the middle of the room was Val, sweat dripping down his face, both his lightsabers ignited. Across from him was a Togruta girl, white and blue montrals trailing behind her as she jumped forward in attack. Their sabers met in the middle, the Togruta pushing down onto Val’s sabers. Val stepped back, unable to sustain the gridlock. 

Cal moves to the side of the room as Val disengages, switching his hilt grip to swipe at the other’s left side. The Togruta jumped to the side, bringing her shoto blade to block, bringing her other blade onto Val’s shoulder. They continued their dance, both spinning and twisting as they blocked and parried. 

The Togruta comes in at Val’s side. He blocks the attack, leaving his left arm out. The Togruta takes advantage, kicking his hand, forcing his lightsaber to disengage and drop to the ground. The Togruta advances, using his shock to overwhelm him. With only one saber left, Val is pushed back. Finally, his enemy knocks him to the ground, both sabers crossed at his neck. The two breathe heavily, before Val yields. 

Cal clapped, bringing the two out of their small bubble. He grinned. 

“That was amazing!” Cal walked over to the two duelers, focusing on Val. 

“You said that we were gonna study together.” The Mirialan cursed. He turned to look at the single clock in the room. 

“Force, I’m so sorry Cal! I lost track of time.” 

Cal grinned, shrugging nonchalantly. “We have the rest of the day. It’s fine.” As Val ran to the changing room, Cal glanced at the other person in the room. She had no beads in her hair, making her an Initiate, just as Tala said. But she was an unfamiliar face, and most likely older than them given her sparring prowess.

Noticing his curiosity, the Togruta smiles at him. “I’m Ahsoka Tano. I’ve been helping Val with his technique.” Cal grinned at her, shaking her hand in greeting. 

“I’m Cal Kestis. It’s nice to meet you.” He stared at the pair of lightsabers the other held in their hands, curiosity pooling in his stomach. “How’d you get so good at using dual-blades?” 

Ahsoka smiled smugly. She wasn’t going to give anything away. “I have my ways.” She crossed her arms, leaning into her left side to stare down at Cal. “What’re you studying for?”

Cal felt his ears burn. “Uh, piloting.” He muttered, hoping the other girl didn’t tease him.

“Piloting?! That class was so easy to pass!” Ahsoka laughed, raising her eyebrow at the younger boy.

Cal’s face heated up even more. He glowered at the other girl. He didn’t like others pointing out his less than subpar flying skills. It's not like he wasn't aware of them. “Not everyone’s good at flying. I got the mechanics down. But theory doesn’t transfer to practice, you know.”

Ahsoka shrugged her shoulders at him. “Fair enough.” 

Before the two could talk any further, Val ran out of the changing room, door banging closed behind him. His hair was slightly damp with a new set of robes on. 

“Let’s go, Cal!” 

Cal waved at Ahsoka, before following his friend. “See you around, Ahsoka! It was nice meeting you!” With that, the two younger Initiates left the room. 

Ahsoka watched the pair leave, sighing. Sometimes she wondered if she was that full of energy two years ago. She clipped her sabers to her belt, and headed to the changing rooms. She needed a shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Hope you guys are holding up in this crazy time.
> 
> This chapter isn't my favorite, given that it's so short, but I've stared at it so long that I don't know how to change it. So up it goes. I've also found that I'm not quite sure how to write Ahsoka, especially since she grows so much in the Clone Wars series. I guess that's something I'll have to tackle with not only her, but Cal as well...
> 
> I'm writing the last chapter for this story, and hopefully it'll be up soon! I'm both nervous and excited to begin writing the battles Cal will be a part of!
> 
> Anywho, comment, leave kudos, whatever! I'll see you guys next time! (once again, updates will probably be faster in this strange time, but no promises)


	4. The 501st

“The Council has given us new orders.”

The display lit up with a hologram projection of Geonosis. Obi-Wan zoomed into the planet, giving Cody and Cal a closer look at the large factory up on display.

“Senator Amidala has given us vital information on a droid factory on Geonosis. We will be rendezvousing with the 501st, and 21st on the  _ Resolute _ for a plan of action.” 

Cal stared widely at the display. The factory was  _ huge _ . The number of droids that could be produced by it if it began operations would greatly benefit the Separatists, and leave the Republic overwhelmed. A pit of dread filled Cal’s stomach.

This was the first campaign Cal would be participating. The last few battles had Cal staying behind, assisting Admiral Block from the  _ Negotiator _ . But with two other Padawans also joining the group on Geonosis, Cal was able to convince Obi-Wan to allow him a more active role in the battle. 

“I’ll go alert the men, sir.” Cody stood at attention next to Cal. Obi-Wan nodded his head.

“You’re dismissed, Commander.” Cody left the bridge, leaving Cal and Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan looked at his Padawan. Nervousness and excitement filled Cal’s chest.

“Get ready, Padawan. We will be leaving for the  _ Resolute  _ shortly.” Cal nodded his head, exiting and heading towards his room.

  
  


The  _ Resolute _ ’s hangar was in full swing. The iconic blue of the 501st filled the room. Waiting for them as they stepped off the transport was Anakin and Ahsoka, and a blonde clone. Most likely their Captain. 

“Anakin, Ahsoka.” Obi-Wan said in greeting. Cody, a step behind Obi-Wan, nodded in greeting to the other Master-Padawan pair, locking arms with the blonde in greeting. Anakin stepped forward.

“Captain, this is Padawan Cal Kestis. Cal, this is Captain Rex of the 501st.”

The blonde, Rex, saluted. “Welcome to the 501st, sir.” 

Ahsoka waved to Cal, smiling. Cal smirked back. At least he wasn’t the only teenager aboard.

“Cal, why don’t you stay with Ahsoka and the Captain. Anakin and I will be on the bridge while we wait for Master Mundi.” Cal didn’t protest. Besides, he wanted to get to know Ahsoka better. The last time they met was an awkward five minute conversation before Cal rushed off. 

And maybe he was also curious to know the 501st. Waxer and Boil definitely had a lot of stories to tell about them.

Cal glanced curiously at Rex. The Captain seemed as uptight as Cody. His back was ramrod straight, and he walked with a purpose Cal’s only seen in a few. 

“Do you know Cody well?” Cal thinks back to their brotherly greeting. In more private situations, maybe they would have touched foreheads, like Cal has seen some of his troops do after a long battle. 

Cal could tell that Rex was holding back a smile. He shook his head in response. “I’ve lost count of the number of operations and campaigns we’ve worked on together. We met in ARC training.” 

Cal’s face lit up. Cody rarely ever told stories, unlike Waxer and Boil, who loved entertaining Cal’s idea of a battle. “Ooh! Do you have any good stories?” 

Ahsoka huffed. She was amused. Rex stared at her pointedly. The Togruta did the mature thing and stuck her tongue out at the Captain.

“Let’s just say that the General’s methods lead to some...interesting stories.”

“That’s just Rex telling you that he’s got some good stories up his sleeve and he would  _ love  _ to tell them!” Ahsoka batted her eyelashes at Rex, using this moment to hear more stories. Cal looked at Ahsoka. She raised her eyebrow at him, cocking her head. He smiled. 

Yup. He was definitely going to like her. A lot.

  
  


“Hello Rex, Commander.” Cal looked up to see a smile (more like smirk) dance across a trooper’s face. Like Boil, he sported some facial hair. His brows pulled at his temple, and Cal caught the tattoo on his right temple resembling the number five.

Ahsoka smiled brightly. “Hey Fives!” Ahsoka gestured for Fives to come over. The man made his way towards the trio, another trooper not far behind him. The two glanced curiously at him. Rex sighed at the new company, nodding his head at the still unnamed clone.

_ That explains the tattoo _ , Cal thought to himself. Fives sidled next to the Captain,who seemed used to the other’s nonchalant behavior. The other man took Five’s right side. 

Cal decided to initiate conversation. “Hello there.”

Fives turned his attention fully onto Cal, taking the time to stare him down. He looked him up and down, taking in his braid and youth. “You’re the new 212th Jedi, huh?” 

“Fives!” the other clone sniped. 

“Echo!” Fives mocked. Rex knocked his shoulder, giving him a look. Cal held back a laugh. It was amusing to watch the two clones-Echo, another name to remember-reprimand the man. 

“Yeah, I am.” Cal replied, unfazed. It was gonna take more for Fives to scare him. He went back to his food, the same flavorless mush on the  _ Negotiator _ . He took a bite anyways. It was food. That’s all he could ask for.

Ahsoka, not forgetting her personal mission, took this time to grill the three clones before them. “Got any good stories to share, troopers?” 

Fives grinned, obviously excited someone asked. 

“If you’re gonna tell Rishi Moon again, I’m leaving.” Echo deadpanned. Ahsoka lit up. Cal, a bit of an outsider, stayed silent. But he remembered hearing about that mission from Boil. Cody and Rex, on an inspection, helped some rookies protect the moon’s base from Separatists hoping to invade Kamino.

“Isn’t that where you guys came to the 501st?” 

“You got it, Commander.” Fives confirmed, leaning forward. “Rex doesn’t usually like telling stories unless we, you know, get him a bit tipsy,” Rex pulled a face, trying his hardest not to maim the man next to him, “but I can do it for him.” The clone winked at both Cal and Ahsoka. The sensual move made Cal’s cheeks warm.

“That would be great and all,” Rex cuts in. He looks down at his comm. “But Master Mundi has arrived. We got a meeting on the bridge.” Fives sighed, patting Rex on the arm. 

“Oh, well. I guess this story’s gonna have to wait until the battle’s over.” Echo rolls his eyes at his friend, waving at the trio as they leave. 

“It was nice meeting you, sir!” Cal smiles back, waving back. They dropped their plates off at the cleaning droids, heading towards command.

  
  


“Our ships are in position, and we’re ready to start our campaign on Geonosis.” 

The five Jedi stood around the communication center, the holo-projections of Master Windu, Master Yoda, and the Chancellor stood before them, with Master Undulli next to Obi-Wan. Both Cal and Ahsoka stood to the side, allowing the four Jedi Masters to take the lead. Both Rex and Cody stood behind their respective generals, with Commander Jet behind Master Mundi.

“Any reports on Poggle?” 

Obi-Wan shook his head at Windu’s question. “Last reports have him holed up in the main droid foundry.” A holo-projection of the factory and its surrounding area appeared. A red semicircle protected the factory, a shield generator. “The factory is protected by a shield generator.” Obi-Wan points at it. “We hope to attempt a three-pronged attack by Anakin, Ki-Adi, and myself through their defenses, just short of it. If all goes well, we’ll destroy the shield generator. That’s our main target.” 

“Isn’t that risky? It seems to me putting three generals in this one area could be a serious blow to the GAR if all doesn’t go well.” The chancellor sounded worried.

“Ensure rise again, the Geonosis do not. Capture Poggle, we must.” 

The Chancellor nodded his head in deference to the Grandmaster. “Of course. I leave the military tactics to you, Master Jedi.” 

The Jedi present nod their head to the Chancellor. “Our thanks to you, Chancellor.” Obi-Wan states. 

“What will the 41st legion be doing?” 

Master Undulli answers. “We will be on standby until the shield generator is destroyed. Once so, we will assist in the destruction of the droid foundry and capture of Poggle.” Windu nods.

They continued running through the plan, but the bulk of the meeting was over. Before they left, Windu gave a last farewell. “May the Force be with you.” The holo-projections faded away, leaving three generals and two Padawans left. 

Cody took this time to come forward towards the holo-projector. 

“Here are the coordinates for the rendezvous, sirs.” A green box lit up, indicating their drop zone. “General Mundi will come in from the north, we will come in from the middle, and General Skywalker from the south. Our main goal is creating a perimeter when we hit the ground.” Cody looked up from the projector. “We will be meeting at 0700 exactly.”

“If we meet strong resistance, and we are forced to land away from the rendezvous,” General Mundi piped up, “wait to meet up before heading towards the shield generator.”

Cal stared at the map, staring at the area before their drop zone. “Their front lines are heavily fortified.” He pointed at a red line. “There’s gotta be some serious defenses right here, especially if this is the main foundry.”

Ahsoka agreed, pointing at a ravine near the south. “Yeah, just look at that wall with gun emplacements. If we land anywhere near there, it’s not gonna be easy.” 

Anakin reassured Ahsoka. “Don’t worry, we won’t go near that.” 

“Let’s get ready.” Master Undulli stated, breaking any thought about the Geonosians’ defenses. 

“Of course. Cody, prepare the gunships. Cal and I will meet you at the hangar.” Cody saluted, leaving the command center. Cal trailed behind his Master as Master Undulli left the table, and the others began talking with their respective captain and commander. 

The hallways were packed with troopers heading towards the hangar. Cal looked around. Boil and Waxer were both with their respective platoons, gearing up. Cal saw a glimpse of Cross talking heatedly with another soldier; maybe another medic. 

“Let’s go, Padawan.” 

“Yes, Master!”

The two entered their transport, Cody not far behind him. Cal carefully adjusted his left vambrace, still a little uncomfortable in armor, no matter how minimal. He grabbed hold of a side handle-bar as he felt the engines heat up.

Cal heard the pilot shout “Ready!”, and felt the transport lift into the sky. The doors closed, and Cal took one last look into the empty hangar. He took a deep breath. The battle has begun. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! I'm back!
> 
> I've realized that I've been wanting to do a lot of things at the same time; from drawing, writing, reading, and watching Criminal Minds (god it's twelve seasons long, kill me). But that's okay! I guess what I'm trying to say is that despite this quarantine, I've had a lot of reasons to not be bored.
> 
> This chapter was super fun to write! I think I've learned that one, I love writing Cal with multiple characters, which makes dialogue easier. I can't say the same thing with just two people, especially if I have to think of a plot myself. Two, my writing gets exponentially better when I have a base like the Clone Wars series. If you can tell, the last portion of this chapter is following very closely to the beginning of Landing at Point Rain in season two. This chapter coincidentally tied in perfectly with the next story: the Second Battle of Geonosis, and I had to exploit that.
> 
> Anywho, comment, give kudos, whatever! I'll see you guys next time!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everyone! I'm super excited to finally enter the Clone Wars! Of course, Cal needs to meet all the main players before diving into war.
> 
> This is the first multi-chapter story I've written for this series, and I'm a bit nervous about how I'm going to do. But I know I'll learn!
> 
> Also, I just realized that Cross isn't an actual character in the series, so I kinda stole him from someone's work? If you know whose character he is, please tell me so I can give them credit, and to the writer who created Cross, I'm sorry I accidentally stole him! I hope it's okay. 
> 
> I didn't realize how much time I have being at home (though online school starts tomorrow so we'll see how much time I have after that), so I might actually be to post more during this crazy time (no guarantees haha).
> 
> Anyways, comment, give kudos, whatever! See you guys next time.


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